Application percentages for Ball State University's 2009 Fall Semester freshman class are both increasing and decreasing.
Tom Taylor, vice president of enrollment, marketing, and communications, said the in-state applications were up 5 percent but the out-of-state applications were down 40 percent.
"It sounds like a large number," Taylor said, "but it's somewhat misleading. We're still at just under 2,000 out-of-state applications, and we're expecting about 3,600 freshmen."
Assistant Director of Admissions Crystal Davis said the number of transfer students from Ivy Tech has gone up as well.
According to the 2008 State of College Admission report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, college applications around the country have gone up despite the economic downturn. Increases spread from powerhouses such as Harvard University, Princeton University and University of Virginia down to Portland Community College in Oregon.
Taylor said the economic downturn explains the decrease in out-of-state students and increase in in-state students. Parents are eager to get their children to in-state schools with in-state tuition, he said.
"Everybody throughout higher education knows this is a challenging time," Taylor said. "We know there's a lot of uncertainty in the economy and we're not sure how that will affect enrollment patterns.
Taylor said the out-of-state decrease might be because the Ohio reciprocity agreement expired this year.
The program states that students living in select counties on either side of the Indiana-Ohio border can pay in-state tuition if they attend one of the schools involved in the program. Taylor said he hoped the program would be reinstated once the states decide which schools will be involved in the program.
"We've got a lot of particularly strong students from Ohio," Taylor said. "We're very interested in seeing this extended."
Alan Hargrave, associate dean of student affairs and director of housing and residence life, said Ball State is renovating and building new housing complexes, such as DeHority Complex and North Residence Hall to accommodate the rising numbers. He said despite the increased living prices brought by the new buildings, expenses will be affordable to students.
"When you look at other major state schools - IU, Purdue, etc," Hargrave said, "we have the lowest increase. We've tried to trim costs and lower costs and save where we can. We hire large numbers of student employees. The mandatory increase in minimum wage for students workers will help as well."
Director of Admissions and Orientation Chris Munchel said he was optimistic about the rise of in-state applications. Whether it's academic or athletic success, all the national attention helps, he said.
Munchel said the university was hopeful not only for bringing in a strong class for next year but also bringing academic honor to Ball State.
"Generally if there are hard times people are trying to create value for their services, so the more opportunities that are available to them, the more likely they are to take advantage of those opportunities," Munchel said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
